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那個時候年紀太小了，怎麼樣都覺得John Donne（1572-1631）是個愛找麻煩的詩人，喜歡用一些生冷的譬喻、怪得不能再怪的構句。怎麼知道這麼久之後，才發現詩的好。挪威多才多藝的鋼琴家Ketil Bjørnstad及他的朋友們，用Donne的詩譜成了美麗的歌，放在一張名叫Grace的CD裡。就在這樣感覺得到秋涼的夜裡，一遍又一遍的放著。”Years and years unto year, till we attain / To write threescore; this is the second of our reign.” 要怎樣才能把詩人那無比豐富卻又簡單得如此生活感的詞句，翻成美麗的中文呢？我的感動卻只能用笨拙的母語，稍稍填補我的無言。

“The Anniversary” by John Donne

相遇週年

All kings, and all their favourites,

All glory of honours, beauties, wits,

The sun it self, which makes time, as they pass,

Is elder by a year now than it was

When thou and I first one another saw.

All other things to their destruction draw,

Only our love hath no decay;

This no to-morrow hath, nor yesterday;

Running it never runs from us away,

But truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day.

諸王和他們恩寵的，

名節、美貌與笑談的榮耀，

而太陽，劃定那逝去時光的，

又已長了一歲

自你我初次相遇

世上諸物無不有滅

我們的愛卻不減

無明日，亦無昨日

流轉，卻從不離我們而去

忠實守諾那最初日、最末日、那永遠的一日

Two graves must hide thine and my corse ;

If one might, death were no divorce.

Alas ! as well as other princes, we

—Who prince enough in one another be—

Must leave at last in death these eyes and ears,

Oft fed with true oaths, and with sweet salt tears;

But souls where nothing dwells but love

—All other thoughts being inmates—then shall prove

This or a love increasèd there above,

When bodies to their graves, souls from their graves remove.

你和我的身骸終須兩座墓穴埋沒

或有人云，死亡並非離別

一嘆，我們就如所有的王侯般

──即便我們在彼此心中已然尊貴──

終將以死作別，留下身後那些

填滿誓言、流滿甜蜜鹹淚的嘴臉；

但靈魂中除了愛，別無所居，

──思絮不過囚於其中──而靈魂將為此見證，

甚或經歷那之上更多的愛：

身驅埋入墓中時，靈魂超脫墓囚日。

And then we shall be throughly blest;

But now no more than all the rest.

Here upon earth we’re kings, and none but we

Can be such kings, nor of such subjects be.

Who is so safe as we? where none can do

Treason to us, except one of us two.

True and false fears let us refrain,

Let us love nobly, and live, and add again

Years and years unto years, till we attain

To write threescore ; this is the second of our reign

到了那時，我們將得到完全的庇佑，

只是現在依舊平凡，

我們是世間的王，除我等之外

再無別人可登此位，也再無別人成其子民。

又有誰像我們這般安穩？在此除我倆之一

無人能背叛我們，

虛實真假的恐懼讓我們縮手，

不如且讓我們高貴地相愛、生活，

好讓我們一年歲月加上一年歲月，直到

我們終將寫下六十年；那便是我倆的再次共治。

lukhnos :: Sep.23.2004 :: :: 3 Comments »